May 13, 2012 by Wendy Carter.

Happy Mother’s Day!

“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.“ Proverbs 1:8

Have you ever tasted Poutine? It is a fast food dish that originated in Quebec and can now be found across Canada. It is French Fries covered in gravy and cheese curds. Gary and I tried it Friday for the first time at Burger King. Just let me say we think it might be better to purchase it in Quebec instead. It is interesting how something like that catches on. Our society focuses on food so much these days and it is great for mothers to be treated with a meal she didn’t have to prepare. Way to go Brandon who served breakfast to his mother in bed this morning and to Chris who prepared our church breakfast for Sara who usually does it week by week!

Richard and Hannah’s son, Gideon, became a one year old this past Thursday. The orphanage and staff seem to be doing well. The rainy season will soon begin so they can’t make bricks during that time. Please continue to pray for their daily needs and remember William with his ministry in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar.

There’s still no further development on the property we were looking to purchase for our church. Please continue to pray that the door will not be fully closed or that God will open another door for us so that Heartland will expand for His glory.

Wednesday @ 7:00 p.m. is now the norm for our weekly Home Group. Come study and pray with us as we go through Gary’s book, See You Next Week!

Birthday blessings go out to Howie Johnson this coming Thursday, May 17. Have a great day, Howie!

Take care,
Wendy
wendy.carter@kainos.org
This blog is a summary of our 9:00 Sunday morning services held at 7777 Churchville Rd., Brampton, ON L6Y 0H3, 905-230-8116. It can always be found at www.blog.heartlandfellowship.ca.

Mother’s Day by Gary Carter: Do special days like Mother’s Day, birthdays, New Year’s Day have special value? It is fun to celebrate together but today there is a huge number of women who are very sad as they wished they could have children but didn’t and others who are estranged from their children. It is always good to contact them and show interest in their lives particularly if a loved one has died on that special day. Setting apart a special day is not emphasized in Scripture; however Christians have treated the first day of the week differently as that was the day that Jesus rose from the dead. Probably the Jewish people at the time maintained a connection to their traditional roots by observing the Sabbath, the seventh day as well. May we remember to do the right things on Sunday. “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. (Exodus 20:8-10)” Sunday is always the special day. Godly mothers care more about their children remembering the Sabbath than they do Mother’s Day.

Steve Macdonald’s Revelations on Revelation 14:6-20 (Part 29): In this passage John sees three angels each with a different task. The first one declares the everlasting gospel to the entire world. Since the gospel is everlasting, should the world be concerned that the consequences for not believing in the Gospel is everlasting torment (Matthew 25:41)? The second angel angel declares that Babylon the Great has fallen or you can change that to insert Rome or Nazi Germany or the European union or… The earthly rule, the rule of government and false religion is done. The strongest of nations will fall; the true everlasting rule of God is about to begin.

The third angel gives warning to all that God`s vengeance will overtake - all those that hold on to worldly interests. And the consequences are not promising. Follow the dragon, drink from the cup of God`s wrath which is poured out full strength. It includes being tormented with burning sulphur. But it gets worse. Not only are those who choose not to believe tormented with burning, they must do so in the presence of Jesus and the angels. There is pain and suffering and a constant reminder that they did have a choice; they could have chosen differently. There is no rest for ever and ever. Why will all this require patient endurance on the part of the believers? They are already being persecuted by governments and false churches. They are being excluded from being able to buy or sell anything. They have seen other saints killed. They are in constant danger and now the angel is proclaiming to the governments and the dragon followers that they will fall. They will be tormented and the Lamb they so hate will be present to see their torment. Yeah, let`s put that stick into the wasp nest and really upset them all. Patient endurance indeed!

Yet despite the obvious troubles that are ahead, a voice from heaven offers more hope to the believers of Jesus. It is not a voice from earth, from the world or man, but from heaven. Those who die in the Lord are blessed. They will have rest - a striking contrast to the non-believers. They are blessed in their rest. They rest from all sin, temptation, sorrow, and persecution. Their works follow them as their evidence of having lived and died in the Lord - the reward glorious, far above the merit of all their services and sufferings.

Then John sees a white cloud. Is it an angel or Jesus seated on the cloud? So far everything in this chapter has been done by angels. The fact that another angel comes out of the temple and calls to the “one like the Son of man” and the one heeds or obeys the order, leads me to believe this is an angel. This “one” has a crown on his head, but is it a crown of victory similar to the crowns in Revelations 3:11-4:4-4:10-6:2-9:7-12:1? It is not the crown of authority as in Revelations 12:3-13:1-19:12. Then the first and second harvesting of the earth takes place. The first lacks any detail - simply the sickle was swung and the harvest was done. The second harvest is much more graphic. We have grapes cut from the vine, crushed, trampled and blood flowing over the entire area of Israel up to 4 feet deep. The first harvest, the “harvest of the earth” lines up with the first four trumpets (8:6-13) which affected the natural creation. The second harvest, or grape harvest, matches the last three trumpets (9:1-11:19) which brought injury and death to humans as well. Or maybe the two harvests are showing us salvation and in contrast the destruction of the non-believers. Instead of wheat and chaff, the vision in Revelation contrasts the bloodless harvest of grain with the bloody wine-press of God’s wrath.

Second Century Christianity by Chris Burton: At the end of the first century, the question was what to do with these Christians. To round up and imprison or kill citizens as they did from time to time with the Christians was not a popular act . Many Romans were rightly disturbed when these programs were initiated. Some emperors refused to authorize such persecution [Vespasian (69-79 A.D.) and Nerva (96-98 A.D.) apparently released prisoners and recalled exiles]. The end of the first century included one of these times of persecution under Emperor Domitian (81-96 A.D.). Domitian was “over the top.” Likely due to a combination of insecurity and an unstable personality, Domitian insisted on being worshiped and punished those who refused. The details of the Domitian Roman persecution (95-96 A.D.) are somewhat sketchy, but it appears to have been contained to Rome and in Asia Minor. Most scholars believe that the Domitian persecution is the historical backdrop for John’s Revelation.

Following Domitian was Trajan (98-117 A.D.). We can read Trajan’s own writing contained in letters exchanged between the emperor and one of his governors, Pliny the Younger, 111-113 A.D. Pliny had written Trajan asking how to deal with the Christians. This is a portion of that request: “Meanwhile, in the case of those who were denounced to me as Christians, I have observed the following procedure: I interrogated these as to whether they were Christians; those who confessed I interrogated a second and a third time, threatening them with punishment; those who persisted I ordered executed. For I had no doubt that, whatever the nature of their creed, stubbornness and inflexible obstinacy surely deserve to be punished. There were others possessed of the same folly; but because they were Roman citizens, I signed an order for them to be transferred to Rome.” Pliny the Younger, Letters 10.96

This is part of Trajan’s reply: “You observed proper procedure, my dear Pliny, in sifting the cases of those who had been denounced to you as Christians. For it is not possible to lay down any general rule to serve as a kind of fixed standard. They are not to be sought out; if they are denounced and proved guilty, they are to be punished, with this reservation, that whoever denies that he is a Christian and really proves it - that is, by worshiping our gods…shall obtain pardon through repentance.” Pliny the Younger, Letters 10.97

During the second century, the Lord had not returned as soon as some had expected, so organization was needed to continue the ministry, resist persecution, oppose heretical teachings, and spread the word. The role of the bishop became stronger to fill this need. While persecution continues from time to time depending on which Emperor is in power, that is not the greatest threat. Heresies posed a major danger. These included:
Gnosticism — A kind of New Age movement that claimed special knowledge.
Marconionism — An attempt to reduce the Scriptures, both the Hebrew and Christian, to a few select books.
Montanism — A charismatic movement that got carried away with new revelations, prophecies, and judgmental attitudes toward other Christians.
Out of this a new Christian role emerges apologists, or explainers of the faith, to combat heresy and answer the church’s opponents. Key apologists include Irenaeus and Justin Martyr. Churches are not legal and have no public meeting place or church buildings.
Local persecution can break out at any time.

In 111 Pliny the Younger, governor of Bithynia on the Black Sea, was returning from an inspection of his rich and well-populated province when a fire devastated his capital, Nicomedia. Much could have been saved, had there been firemen. Pliny reported to the emperor Trajan (98-117): “It is up to you to decide whether it is necessary to create a 150-strong association of firemen. For my part, I will make sure that such an association will accept only firemen. Trajan replied rejecting the proposal: “Do not forget that your province is prone to societies of this kind. Whatever their name or purpose, I do not wish to have people united in a body, who then, for whatever reason quickly become an eterie.” The fear of the “eterie” (the Greek name for associations) prevailed over the fires. Associations of any type, which transformed themselves into political groups, had pushed Caesar into forbidding all associations in 7 B.C.: “Whoever establishes an association without special authorization, is liable to the same penalty as those who, with armed forces, attack public places and temples.”

The laws were still in force, but the associations continued to flourish; the boatmen on the Seine, the doctors of Avenches, the wine merchants of Lyons, the buglers of Lamesi. Pliny attempted to use this in his favour in 112 AD. Bithynia was full of Christians. “They are a crowd of people of all ages, and conditions, dispersed throughout the cities, in the villages and the countryside,” he wrote to the Emperor. He goes on to tell of a complaint received from the makers of religious amulets upset by the Christians who preached about the uselessness of such knickknacks. He had set up a special inquiry and found out that they had “the habit of gathering on a fixed day, before sunrise to sing a hymn to Christ as though to a god. They try to live justly, they oblige themselves by oath not to commit crimes, theft or robbery or adultery or deceit with words. They have the custom of dining together, and in spite of what others may say, the food is ordinary and harmless.“ The Christians had not ceased having these meetings even after the governor had reissued the edict against “eterie.” Continuing the letter (10,96), Pliny assures the Emperor that he saw no malice in what they are doing. However, the refusal to offer incense and wine before the statue of the Emperor seemed to him an act of public sacrilege. The obstinacy of these Christians seemed “unreasonable and foolish”. There still remained the accusation of refusing to worship the Emperor (i.e. high treason) and of establishing an “eteria.”

The Emperor replied, “The Christians ought not to be sought out by the authorities. If, however, they are denounced and found guilty, they will have to be condemned.”
Translation: Trajan encourages turning a blind eye to them - they are a harmless “eteria” like the boatmen on the Seine or the wine merchants of Lyon. But since Christians are practicing an “unreasonable and foolish superstition” and continued to refuse to do emperor worship (therefore considered “outcasts” from civic life), Pliny should not pretend as if nothing happened. If they are denounced, they are to be condemned. The policy continues (even if less rigid) - “It is not legal to be Christians”. Even so the church continues to spread reaching all classes, particularly the lower. Callistus, a former slave, actually becomes bishop of Rome. The strongest centres of the Church are Asia Minor, North Africa and Rome (mostly from a prestige basis).

The Fisherman - The Life of One with Genuine Faith According to Peter (I Peter 5:5-14) by Gary Carter: Gary concluded I Peter with a number of conclusions from this chapter to consider. Last week we talked about how the church should be organized. This week we look at how we should live in a way that is practical, understandable but not optional. What characteristic will you show in the way that you live? How will things evolve over the next 100 years in people’s lives?

Submission has been a theme throughout this book, often unpopular but an appropriate Christian behaviour. Certain people want to be leaders but shouldn’t be and that is a huge problem growing in our society today. We must arrange ourselves around each other which Peter did learn. We are to be humble which cannot be imposed on us but is part of the role of a Christian. God orders our affairs and we are not the possessor of all wisdom. He will lift us up in due time whether in this age or the one to come. Being beat up and rejected hurts but we can’t be anxious. The country of Greece is in a mess because of their pride and that might take them down. They have to go back to the polls to prevent their society from crumbling. Will Spain, Portugal and Germany be next in meltdown? We must cast this worry on Him. We also must be alert and stand firm, resisting the devil day by day while praying, “Lord, I can’t control much about this.”

God is causes particular effects in our lives as we follow his instructions. Too often people want the effects or results but don’t want to develop the cause along the way. After suffering for a while or throughout the whole of life, God will restore and rebuild and make us strong. An elderly gentleman in one of our former churches suffered the loss of his wife this weekend. He will be fine because he has lived a lifetime working on the right causes and gaining the godly effects. Another friend is helping and supporting him to make the best of this unpleasant situation because of their warm relationship that developed a long time ago. Peter had support from his faithful “brother” Silas and his “son” Mark. Church life once a week gives you that anchor for life. We are to keep greeting each other and developing an active relationship. We can only really know about 60 people in a church. The support from those church friends rounds out the development of our lives.

Dumb & Dumber! Steve Macdonald:
Return of the Prodigal by Greta Sonne
Crossing Roads Safely by Luke Bothways
Breaking Windows by Eva Stone
Itchy Bites by Amos Quito
How Plants Eat by Oz Moses
Answering Machines by Colin Bach
How To Get Taller by Stan Dup
The Nasty Kid by Enid A. Spanking

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May 6, 2012 by Wendy Carter.

Hello!

“…My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

Iggy Kaneff fled to Canada as an immigrant from Bulgaria in 1951 in his mid-20s. He only had $5 in his pocket and knew one English word, “Yes!” That reminds me of our young Myanmar pastor, William, who was visiting us a year ago. He wanted to do everything we suggested. Mr Kaneff is now 85 years old, living in Mississauga and is very well known in our community of Peel as CEO for his Kaneff Group of Companies whose real estate holdings include homes, high-rise apartment buildings, retail plazas and office buildings, plus six golf course properties. The theme of our Pastors’ wives retreat this past weekend was “Following God, one YES at a time. There seems to be a pattern here. The word “yes” is so much more powerful and positive than the negative “no” word and that is coming from a person who tends to say “no” too often as a first response.

Richard from Myanmar sent Gary a very detailed income & expense report this week on his Agape Orphanage for 2011. Overall they seem to have improved their situation throughout the year but still need our ongoing prayer and financial support. In the next few weeks I will be sending him some more money so if you would like to contribute let me know.

Please continue to pray for our ongoing property investigations. A cash offer by another party is currently on the table. Will this offer of purchase close? Will a building permit be allowed by the city of Brampton because of the heritage and conservation restrictions? Time will tell and the hand of God working in hearts.

We are back to Thursday this week for our Home Group at the Burton “castle” at 7:00 p.m. Hopefully the weeks to follow it will take place on Wednesday evenings.

Blessings,
Wendy
wendy.carter@kainos.org
This blog is a summary of our 9:00 Sunday morning services held at 7777 Churchville Rd., Brampton, ON L6Y 0H3, 905-230-8116. It can always be found at www.blog.heartlandfellowship.ca.

Brampton Churches by Gary Carter: There are five beautiful mainstay church buildings within a few blocks of the major intersection in downtown Brampton.

1. St. Paul’s United Church: Started as a Primitive Methodist church in 1828. The current building was constructed in  1885 and has seating  for 1000 with an education building.

2. Grace United Church: Started as a Wesleyan Methodist in 1822. In 1865 they purchased a lot for $250 and in 1867 built a 40 X 60 foot building on the site. In 1887 there was a large expansion followed by other expansions over the years.

3. First Baptist Church: In the 1850s a Baptist church had a start and built a 1856 Chapel and residence on their current site on Main Street but the church did not survive. In 1873  9 people started again on old site. By 1875 they had 31 members and opened the current church building which was enlarged several times and rebuilt after a fire in 2001.
4. Christ Church Anglican: The church started in homes and built its first building in 1851. In  1884 they got the current building from the Methodist Episcopal Church which had shut down. Expansions ensued over the years.
5. St. Andrews Presbyterian Church: Scottish Presbyterians met in homes starting in 1823. In 1880 they built their current building which has also been expanded.

Four out of these five buildings have bell towers reaching to the sky.

The astounding thing is that by the time all these building had been constructed the population of Brampton was only 3000. Today Brampton has grown to over 525,000 people.

Are we missing something the pioneers had? They really showed their much devotion and dedication. Nobody forced them to do this. But at the same time given the lack of places of worship of the same spiritual families they didn’t keep pace with duplicating efforts over the decades.The prime thing Jesus commanded is that we should make disciples. Disciples must meet in buildings but where the buildings remain and the disciple making faltered we have let our city down.

Steve Macdonald’s Revelations on Revelation 14:1-5 (Part 28): We learn that the Lamb is standing on Mount Zion. Is Mount Zion earthly, heavenly or just plain symbolism? Yes. In Zechariah 9:9 and Matthew 21:5 Zion is most certainly associated with Jerusalem, so Zion is earthly. Unless of course Zion is associated with Jerusalem and it is heavenly (Galatians 4:26; Hebrews 12:22). Jerusalem is above (heaven) so Zion is in heaven. Unless of course John is using symbolism (Psalm 2:6) to tell us how powerful God is; that despite everything going on He will install His king. He will rule. Or do we combine these and maybe get a clearer understanding. When David captured Zion and made it the city of David, an enemy was vanquished and a strong hold for the Israelites established.

The Lamb will establish the same thing - security, a stronghold against the enemy, a place to live. Add to this that God is establishing and installing this. It is God’s will and plan to have His king in Zion - both on heaven and on earth. When looked in this way, the debate whether it is in heaven or on earth becomes a moot point. Isaiah 24:23 says “The moon will be dismayed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders—with great glory.”

144,000 were with the Lamb. They were previously mentioned in Revelations 7:4-8. They had the seal of God on their foreheads and they were from all the tribes of Israel.
(12,000 from each tribe – a specific number, totaling 144,000). In their natural state, they were alive and well, protected on earth (Zion is on earth). In Revelation 14:1 this group has Jesus and God’s names on their foreheads. They were in a spirit state and they sang before the throne, the creatures and the elders (Zion is in heaven). Are they the same group or another group? Rather than get all caught up in who they are, let’s look at what they are. They belong to and are with Jesus and God. They remained true to the gospel for their entire life; they lived for Jesus (Matthew 19:21). They sang a new song.

They were a part of the new Covenant, they are part of the new reign and they have been redeemed (Acts 4:12). The caution is that anyone who outright denies Jesus, anyone who pretends and goes through the motions who professes to believe and follow Jesus, yet chases after worldly things, does not have the ability to learn the song (Matthew 15:8). If we know Him we can learn and sing (Acts 4:7). Do I believe that only the 144,000 sing the song? I believe we are being told we can, but we must meet some rigid rules to qualify. We must be worthy to be redeemed from the world - pure, a virgin (2 Corinthians 11:2-3). We can have no lie in our mouth or on our heart (Romans 1:25; I John 1:5-10). We must follow Jesus all the time, where ever we go, whatever we do, we must follow Him (Matthew 10:32-33, 38).

The Fisherman - The Life of One with Genuine Faith According to Peter (I Peter 5:1-4) by Gary Carter: How should we organize a church? There are various forms of church government. The Episcopalian form involves rule by a central denomination (from “episcopos” = overseer). The Presbyterians form emphasizes rule by presbyterys (from “presbuteros” = elder who was the Old Testament respected bearded one). The Congregational churches rule by the the collective will of the people. There is no correlation between the Greek and the English. However “ecclesia” was the Greek work which originally referred to a political assembly. It is translated church and was repurposed from the political to the spiritual assembly of believers. Baptists are congregationalists.

There are two church offices. The first is Pastor = shepherd = elder = overseer. The term Pastor isn’t the dominant one in the New Testament. But all these words seem to be used interchangeably in the New Testament. The term elder is often used in the plural sense and it is incorrect to separate pastor from elder theologically. The role is always assumed to be filled by a male. The second office is deacon which means servant and is used in the plural sense. Deacons are male and deaconesses are female or the wives of deacons.

In this passage Peter talks about a sheep and shepherd – not fish and fisherman – which implies a tender relationship. Specifically, sheep need care and guidance. A pastor should serve not out of duty but from the will; not pursuing dishonest money, but eager to serve; not like a dictator, but by life example. How should we organize a church? We should do so in a way that gives the best opportunity for fulfilling the biblical mandates. Baptists hold that the key issues to retain are …
Biblical authority,
Autonomy of every local church under the Head - the Lord Jesus Christ,
Priesthood of all believers,
Two church offices,
Individual soul liberty,
Saved and immersed church membership,
Two church ordinances (believers baptism by immersion and the Lord’s supper) and
Separation of church and state.

What Could Be Dumber? Steve Macdonald:
The French Chef by Sue Flay
Cloning by Ima Dubble
Spring in Italy by Theresa Green
Solid and Reliable by Rocco Gibraltar
Sandwich Making by Ryan Mayo
Surfing the Web by W. W. Dotcom
The Neglected Garden by Wil Ted Plant
The Telltale Heart by Stefi Scope
Make Your Marriage Work by Stan Byerman

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April 29, 2012 by Wendy Carter.

Greetings!

“…teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live …to teach what is good. They they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands so that no one will malign the word of God.” Titus 2:3-5

The older I get the more I realize that I do have lots to offer younger women. Experience is a great teacher is it not?. This next weekend (May 3-6) I head to our denomination’s Pastor’s Wives Plus Conference at Muskoka Bible Center. Please pray that I will be able to encourage any women that I connect with - particularly those that are carrying heavy burdens in their church circumstances. It is Gary’s turn to be a bachelor for a few days.

Apparently Richard, his staff and his orphans have moved into some of the buildings they have put up. It is very hard to figure out the details from this side of the world. They have a smaller campus, better buildings and less debt than a year ago but interest rates are exorbitant on the debt he now holds. He needs to purchase more materials for their brick-making business. Please continue to pray for this ministry along with William’s in Myanmar. The World Bank has now decided to reopen a branch in this country that has been closed for many a year. Change in this country continues.

Gary is teaching a “See You Next Week” seminar this evening at Mississauga Bible Baptist Church. Pray that this church will capture some of his ideas to keep visitors coming back for more and that they may see church growth for their efforts in the months ahead.

Home Group is changed this week from Thursday to Wednesday at the Burton home at 7:00 p.m.

Belated birthday greetings on your 16th Hayley last Monday, April 23. Play safe in your rugby games. No more concussions.

Congratulations to Kaiya Burton who has won an award for being in the top 50 Grade 5 and 6 students for her submission of a short story.

This issue is a combination of two Sundays – April 22 & April 29. Have a good week,

Wendy
wendy.carter@kainos.org
This blog is a summary of our 9:00 Sunday morning services held at 7777 Churchville Rd., Brampton, ON L6Y 0H3, 905-230-8116. It can always be found at www.blog.heartlandfellowship.ca.

An Important Meeting by Gary Carter: Gary meets with the Brampton City Commissioner for Planning and Development this coming Tuesday morning (May 1) at 10:30. He will be mustering up “his insane courage” one more time. The Commissioner has emailed Gary that the city would like to “embrace this project.” Many details seem to be coming together along with very positive interest from our Christian friends. We will keep looking for God’s direction one step at a time and ask for your ongoing prayer. Email me for more details.

First Century Christianity by Chris Burton: During the first six decades of the first century CE, Judaism was composed of a number of competing factions: Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, Zealots, followers of John the Baptist, and followers of Jesus of Nazareth. All followed common Jewish practices in one fashion or another such as:
observing dietary restriction, worshiping at the Jerusalem temple, sacrificing animals,
observing weekly Sabbaths, observing festive occasions etc.

Jesus gave His final orders to His disciples in Matthew 28:16 – 19. They were not the kind of group you might have expected Jesus to send forth on His mission to reach the world. There was nothing special or spectacular about them. They were just ordinary working men. They were to be the backbone of the church after Jesus gave them what might seem to be an impossible task - calling the entire world, including the mightiest empire ever known, to repentance and faith in the risen Christ. Any well educated, first-century Roman citizen would have laughed at any prediction that within three centuries the Christian faith would be the official faith of the empire. The New Testament tells of the fate of only two of the apostles: Judas, who betrayed Jesus and then went out and hanged himself and James the son of Zebedee, who was executed by Herod about 44 AD (Acts 12:1-3).

Reports and legends tell of where the disciples went but they are not always reliable. It is safe to say that the apostles went far and wide. An early legend says they cast lots and divided up the world to determine who would go where. They suffered greatly for their faith and in most cases met violent deaths on account of their witness.

Peter and Paul were both martyred in Rome about 66 AD during the persecution under Emperor Nero. Paul was beheaded. Peter was crucified,upside down at his request, since he did not feel he was worthy to die in the same manner as his Lord.

Andrew went to the “land of the man-eaters,” in what is now the Soviet Union. Christians there claim him as the first to bring the gospel to their land. He also preached in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and in Greece, where he is said to have been crucified. Thomas was probably most active in the area east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far east as India, where the ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder. They claim that he died there when pierced through with the spears of four soldiers. Philip possibly had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and then in Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of a Roman proconsul. In retaliation the proconsul had Philip arrested and cruelly put to death.

Matthew, the tax collector and writer of a Gospel, ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Some of the oldest reports say he was not martyred, while others say he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia.

Bartholomew had widespread missionary travels attributed to him by tradition: to India with Thomas, back to Armenia and also to Ethiopia and Southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his death as a martyr for the gospel.

James the son of Alpheus, is one of at least three James referred to in the New Testament. There is some confusion as to which is which, but this James is thought to have ministered in Syria. The Jewish historian, Josephus reported that he was stoned and then clubbed to death.

Simon the Zealot, so the story goes, ministered in Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god.

Matthias was the apostle chosen to replace Judas. Tradition sends him to Syria with Andrew and to death by burning.

John is the only one of the company generally thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was the leader of the church in the Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary the mother of Jesus in his home. During Domitian’s persecution in the middle 90s, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. There he is credited with writing the last book of the New Testament - the Revelation. An early Latin tradition has him escaping unhurt after being cast into boiling oil at Rome.

Wherever it went, Rome, by policy, promoted city life: municipalities and colonies developed over all the provinces of an empire in which urbanization meant Romanization. Christianity formed within this environment and it was in the cities that the first Christian communities established themselves as local churches. Their surroundings were pagan and hostile which had the effect of giving them greater internal cohesion and made for “solidarity” among their members. Yet these churches were not isolated from each other. There was a real communion and communication among the churches and they all had a keen sense of being components of one and the same world-wide church - the one and only church founded by Jesus Christ.

We know from our studies that Peter was set up as the leader of the early Christian communities; he was the head of the “Church” in Jerusalem; he established the church in Antioch and presided over the group as leader for 7 years; he lived in Rome for many years doing as Jesus had commanded him; and among the Catholics he is seen as the “First Pope.” From this we get a view of Peter as a central “galvanizing” figure among the apostles and the other apostles serving as his “council” of sorts (those that weren’t out spreading the word of God, plus new members that were added). This idea of a central figure is copied throughout the Christian communities as this new “message” is spread.

There was the bishop, the head of the local church, assisted by clergy (priests and deacons) and lesser clergy, who were assigned day to day tasks that might have included clothing & feeding the poor or assuring the widows were taken care of. Then there were faithful ordinary people that made up the majority of the church community. The early Christian communities were made up of all sorts of people without any class or other kind of distinction. From the earliest times the church was open to Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, free men and slaves. Nevertheless it is true that most Christians were people of humble condition. Celsus, a pagan intellectual hostile to Christianity, mocked the weavers, shoemakers, washermen, and other uneducated types who were spreading the Gospel in every sector of society. Even though that was true, early on some members of the Roman aristocracy embraced Christianity; so much so that one of Emperor Valerian’s persecution edicts was specially directed against the senators, gentlemen and imperial officials who were Christians. It would be wrong to “romanticize” the early church as an age of purity or perfection that we should seek to return to. The churches always had their problems and internal struggles. However, the early churches as a whole did represent something different in their world. It attracted both devoted followers and brutal persecutors.

Justin (c. AD 150), an early philosopher, wrote his first apology to the Roman emperor, Antonius Pius around AD 150 to defend the Christians. “Since you are called pious and philosophers, guardians of justice and lovers of learning, pay attention and listen to my address. If you are indeed followers of learning, it will be clear. We have not come to flatter you by this writing nor please you by our address, but to beg that you pass judgment after an accurate and searching investigation. . . . As for us, no evil can be done to us unless we are convicted as evildoers or proved to be wicked men. You can kill us. But you cannot hurt us. To avoid anyone thinking that this is an unreasonable and reckless declaration, we demand that the charges against the Christians be investigated. If these are substantiated, we should be justly punished. But if no one can convict us of anything, true reason forbids you to wrong blameless men because of evil rumors. If you did so, you would be harming yourselves in governing affairs by emotions rather than by intelligence. . . . It is our task, therefore, to provide to all an opportunity of inspecting our life and teachings. . . . It is your business, when you hear us, to be good judges, as reason demands. If, when you have learned the truth, you do not do what is just, you will be without excuse before God.”

How did the early Christians describe themselves? Here is an Epistle to Diognetes (c. AD 130. “For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all others; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death and restored to life. They are poor yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things and yet abound in all; they are dishonored and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of and yet are justified; they are reviled and bless; they are insulted and repay the insult with honor; they do good yet are punished as evildoers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred. To sum it all up in one word — what the soul is to the body, that are Christians in the world.”

Steve Macdonald’s Revelations on Revelation 13 (Part 26 & 27): Appearance isn’t everything but in this chapter we learn about a beast with ten horns with ten crowns, seven heads, ten crowns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The dragon, on the other hand had seven crowns on seven heads (Daniel 7:24). The heads represent empires, the horns, kings. The heads had blasphemous names. John is writing to first century Christians and if the heads of the beast are empires, is John describing the Roman empire and the blasphemous words name the name of the Caesars who deemed themselves gods?

Or is he describing the seven kings who defeated Israel? If the heads are empires, are the names of the rulers the following - Shishak1(Kings 14:25-27); Nebuchadnezzar (2 Chronicles 36:5-20); Ptolemy I (Daniel 11:5); Antiochus IV (Daniel 11:21-35); Pompey the Great (Josephus); Herod the Great (Josephus); Titus (general and son of the Emperor of Rome) (Josephus)? Daniel was describing four empires in his dream (Daniel 7:2-7) - Babylonia - lion; Medo-Persia – bear; Greece – leopard; Rome - iron teeth. John presents his readers with a composite beast that they are able to relate to regarding significance to Israel.

The dragon gives the beast his power, his throne and great authority. Has Satan ever before given his power and authority or even offered to give it away (Luke 4:5-7)? People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast. Are verses 3-4 mocking Jesus’ resurrection? Will the beast have great recuperative powers? Let’s go back to Revelation 11:11 for comparison of the people’s reaction there. I noticed for the first time the word “seemed” in this passage. The beast seemed to have a fatal wound. The dragon is doing what he has always done - lying and deceiving people. The breath of God entered the witnesses. They were dead 3 ½ days; the beast seemed to have a bad cut (Matthew 24:24). John equates worship of the beast with worship of the dragon. Worship of the empire or state is the same as worship of Satan. If the people are neutral (I don’t subscribe to any religion), they worship Satan. If the people worship money, they worship Satan. The men of the world, those not in the Book of Life, worship Satan.

Similar to the little horn from Daniel 7:8-20, the beast has a mouth and uses it (verses 5-8). The mouth is that of a lion, so it can certainly cause fear and terror when speaking. These blasphemies against God, against heaven, against the angels, against the saints are another attempt to turn those left from God. The dragon gives authority to the beast over every tribe, people, language and nation. That is it; no more no less. And power to wage war against God’s people and to be able to conquer them. No guarantees now, no safety blanket. So John gives his readers some advise in verses 9-10 to help them through the tough times they are facing. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people. Bottom line is John is letting us know there is nothing we can do to change what is going to happen and what is coming won’t be anything good. But then he also reminds us that while things are going to get worse, if we are patient and faithful, the hardships will be overcome. Death and imprisonment are overcome by the Father (Colossians 1:11).

The first beast from the sea represented political power, kingdoms and kings. The second beast (verses 11-18) was given power from the dragon to conquer the saints and to have every tribe, people, language and nation worship him. It was described in detail which agreed with the prophesy in Daniel 7. The beast from the earth does not get the same detailed description. We simply get that he had two horns like a lamb but spoke like a dragon. This beast does not get authority from the dragon but does exercise on the behalf of the first beast its given authority to make the earth and all its inhabitants worship the first beast. John has already warned us (1 John 2:15-16) to not love the world.

Is all lost for those saints living on the earth? Does no one have a choice now? Check out Galatians 2;20, I Corinthians 2:12, John 17:28, Matthew 10:22, Psalm 16:11. Determine if all the saints are goners.

The beast has two horns like a lamb but speaks like a dragon. Is this beast purposely trying to look gentle and harmless, but its true intentions being revealed every time it opens it mouth? Is this an attempt to be like Jesus to give the saints and all men hope and to draw them away from the truth (Matthew 7:15)? The beast tries to speak doctrine to sway the people, but his mouth betrays it so it resorts to miraculous signs, lying wonders (he deceived), force. It forces the people of earth to make an image of the beast of the sea and then makes the image speak. The option is now to worship the beast or be killed.

How original (Daniel 3: 3-4)! And while bowing down to worship, don’t forget to get your mark. It is new and improved. It gets you into the store. It allows you special discounts when you are in the store. It will speed up shopping. It will allow you to buy now and pay later. No mark? Sorry, applications are at the courtesy desk. Please line up and wait to be served.

Verse 18 reads, “This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.” There are numerous theories on the number of man. 666 is the internet: www - the Hebrew and Greek alphabet does not have separate characters or alphabets for numbers and letters. Letters are also used as numbers. So each letter is a numerical value. The Hebrew equivalent of our “w” is the letter “vav” or “waw”. The numerical value of vav is 6. So “www” transliterated into Hebrew is “vav vav vav”, which numerically is 666. Another theory says that the number 666 indicates that the letters in the Greek form of the name of the Antichrist will add up to 666. A third theory defines God’s number is one and God’s completeness is seven (Mark 12:29; I John 2:5). If we accept and obey His word, we are adding the One to our lives. One minus seven equals six, therefore man’s number is six. Or when we are one with God we are complete 1+6 = 7. There are as many ideas about the number as there are theories about the Kennedy assassination. Yet the number is given to us, why? It shows the infinite wisdom of God. He knows we have to figure it out or do we? Since the answer is already given, why does anyone with insight have to figure it out? It is not that we need to figure out the number of the beast. It is that we have to look for it, recognize it and recognize the enemy. We must recognize him and understand his time is limited and he is desperate. He will lie, steal, use political pressure, boycotts,
isolation, death penalties to the saints. How can one stand up to all that pressure (James 4:6-7)? He gives us grace.

The Fisherman (I Peter 4:12-19) by Gary Carter: The Dalai Lama from Tibet has been visiting our country this weekend. To understand this gentleman with his very pleasant personality we must learn a little bit about Buddhism. The key concept is emptiness and their “wheel of suffering” involves ignorance, Karmic activity, consciousness, contact, feeling, craving, grasping, existing, birth, old age and death. Five problems to face are desire, ill will, laziness, worry and doubt. Nirvana is the freedom from suffering by extinguishing the fires of ignorance, desire and hate. The objective is to get to Nirvana where you are emptied of all emotion. It all seems rather meaningless. Technically there is no god in Buddhism. Managing suffering is a major theme.

Peter refers to Christian suffering in this passage (verse 15-16). It is very different concept. Peter reminds us that we don’t suffer because of being a criminal; we suffer because of living the Christian life.  The spread of the Gospel often starts at the bottom of society where poor people respond. God uses the foolish or ordinary people living extraordinary lives. There should be no surprises if you suffer (verse 12) for trying to be what God has called you to be. Life will be troublesome. There will be insults (verse 14). The glory and the rejoicing will come later (verse 13). Peter reminds us that the judgment for the unrighteous will be bad (verse 17-18). God’s way has suffering (verse 19) and even though it is not fair we must continue to do good in the middle of burdensome circumstances regardless. Circumstances will never be perfect so we can’t wait until they are before we do good. Are you a twig that can easily snap or a long steel nail? You won’t know until you are tested. Peter learned this after we read about him in the Gospels. Throughout the rest of his life in the first century he did have to content with many difficulties.

Strange Book Titles and Their Authors or Book Titles and the Strange Subconscious, Unintentional Puns We Get when we Use Odd Names for our Personal Enjoyment by Steve Macdonald:
The Numbers Game by Cal Q. Later
Curing Bad Breath by Hal E. Tosis
The Sun by Sol Ar
Making the Team by Ross Terr
The Lost Scout by Werram Eye
Can’t Sit Still by Ivan Auflitch
Nautical Map Reading by Ron A. Ground
My Life as a Gas Station Attendant by Phil R. Awp
How to Dance by Sheik Yerbouti
Drugs and Sports in China by We Doe Ping
We’re all Flakey by Dan Druff
Dealing with Dry Skin by Soren Redd
The Candy Store by Pepper Mintz
Unhappy at Work by Ike Witt
Sofa so Good by Chester Field
Russian Tennis Shoes by Ivan Odor
Positive Reinforcement by Wade Ago
Achieving Your Personal Best by Markov DeStinction

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April 15, 2012 by Wendy Carter.

Hi there!

“But I pray to you, LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.” Psalm 63:19

Isn’t it great to have old friends drop in on you unexpectedly? That’s what happened this morning before our church service. John & Debby Lazenby were baptized by Gary 29 years ago at Eastwood Baptist Church that we started in St. Thomas. They had become Christians through an evangelistic Bible study at the church. Since then they have developed and matured in their Christian faith and now are looking for God’s guidance re becoming missionaries. Please pray for them in this regard. Debby gave us the verse above to encourage us. Please also pray that God will shed His favor on us as we seek to find the next step towards the future of Heartland.

We heard from William this week who says, “The internet in my apartment was not working for 3 weeks. Because I have some problem with my laptop computer. But I can now use again. I just came back from Chin State. We have a really good time together there… I have contacts with Richard nowadays. He is living in buildings on his side of the property. I am praying for the future of your church there. Please continue to remember our ministry here into your home group meeting prayers too.”

Home Group happens this Thursday at the Burton home at 7:00 p.m.

Carleigh Burton is celebrating her 4th birthday this coming Friday, April 20. You keep growing up too fast, Carleigh!

Please remember to pray for Hayley Macdonald’s health as she suffered a concussion while playing rugby last week at school.

Gary and Wendy will be away to Collingwood Friday April 20 – 27. Next Sunday Pastor Brian Carnahan will be our special speaker from Caledon Hills Fellowship Baptist Church. Please pray for his ministry.

Blessings,

Wendy
wendy.carter@kainos.org
This blog is a summary of our 9:00 Sunday morning services held at 7777 Churchville Rd., Brampton, ON L6Y 0H3, 905-230-8116. It can always be found at www.blog.heartlandfellowship.ca.

Taking the Next Step by Gary Carter: You never know what’s coming around the corner and you can’t steer a stationary ship. It is our desire as a church to the follow the Lord who said that the steps of a good person are ordered by Him. Often we wish we knew what the road ahead was going to involve. How many steps will we have to take? However, all you really need to know is step #1. In high probability most won’t take it because it seems to be harder that what they want or they are looking for a deep discount.

Last Tuesday morning Gary along with Michael Femson met with the real estate agent for the property we are considering. Brad was very impressed with the presentation. The next day he had a lengthy conversation with the CFO of the company who said that they would rather pursue a traditional offer that may take a longer time. It appears the city would like us to pursue the property because they have requested a meeting with us. The poroperty has been on the market for a year and has not sold. We will never know God’s complete path for us going forward. But we will take the next step. We do know that the City has the ability to assert its influence plus we have many friends praying for a positive result. You must take your next step. It may be different than the next person’s and the smallest step as possible; but God wants to know you are serious with your interest, time, money and abilities. Ask the Lord for wisdom and make a good guess.

First Century Rome – A Little Back Fill by Chris Burton: Chris has finished his study in Luke and will proceed with giving us some information about what it was like during the first century and thereafter.

In 63 BC the conquering Roman general Pompey marched into Jerusalem. His first stop was the temple. He walked straight into the Holiest of Holies which was forbidden to all but the High Priest. He stood there and laughed at Israel’s God. This was just the beginning of some troubling times. The Jewish people were once again under the rule of a “Gentile empire.” Except for a period of around one hundred years after the Maccabean revolt, this was how things were for over four hundred years. First came the Babylonians, then the Persians and the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Syrians and now the Romans.

When the Romans came, they brought with them high taxes, paganism and brutality. The life of the “common man” was unbearable. There was no real chance to advance your position or station in life. In fact it was more likely that you would take many steps backward. The “Pax Romana” which could be translated “peace through Rome” or “Roman peace” was a well used phrase of the day. If the nations would just submit to Caesar, Rome would bring peace and prosperity to the whole world. The translation was it would be better for you to just surrender than let us rule or face our legions! However, Roman peace came through brute force and absolute domination. Rome brought peace by destroying its enemies. They had a military force very well trained and equipped that it struck fear into the hearts of other nations. Even with a powerful army, Rome was most feared because of brutal and swift treatment of any person or movement they thought would bring disorder to the “Pax Romana.” Most often they used the cross as a tool.

The Romans did not invent crucifixion, but they perfected it using it frequently. It was the most painful and humiliating death possible. It would often take five or more days for a person on a cross to die. Every minute of those days was filled with unimaginable pain. The cross was also humiliating. The victim was stripped bare - no nice loin cloth like in the movies and artwork. Then all who hated the condemned could parade in front of the cross and hurl insults upon their enemy. It was not uncommon for the Romans to line the roads into a city with crosses bearing those who dared to oppose authority. The first century historian Josephus mentions that the Romans crucified almost 10,000 people in Jerusalem alone during the many rebellions prior to AD 70. They crucified many more in peace time. Some estimate the number of Jews that faced the cross in all of Palestine was as high as 200,000. Roman brutality was a part of life in Jesus’ day. The average Roman soldier had the right to conscript any individual to carry whatever needed moving for the distance of one mile. Failure to comply with any Roman demand was often met with a back hand across the face.

As bad as the brutality was it wasn’t the greatest burden. Excessive taxes destroyed far more lives than the Roman sword. Even without a huge tax burden the average family existed only slightly above the poverty level. Roman taxes and tributes were added to by religious taxes and taxes imposed by Herod the Great and later his sons. There were tributes, direct taxes such as land taxes and a head tax, duties, sales taxes, extra taxes on items such as salt, taxes for the building and upkeep of the temple and various tithes. The tax burden on the common man was 30% or more. These were sustenance farmers and they were barely keeping their families fed and sheltered. When they couldn’t pay, there were wealthy land owners who out of the “goodness of their hearts” (LOL) would gladly pay the poor man’s taxes. However, the poor had to give up the title to their land and become indentured servants. Land was everything to the people of Israel. The land they owned was the land of their fathers. It was God’s promise to His people. Selling the land was like selling their identity to pay their debts. In the worst cases the progression was from land owner to tenant or day laborer to indebted slavery and finally debtor’s prison.

The rich were getting richer and the poor, poorer. Land was increasingly held by a wealthy few. 60 peasant families shared what amounted to about one half of an acre in Jerusalem. 16 people often occupied a small room. A very large percentage of the population lived in poverty. Many were undernourished and some poor families had to feed themselves with grass and roots when all resources became exhausted. Failure to pay tributes and taxes had serious consequences. The Romans would sometimes destroy an entire village for late payment either enslaving or killing all its inhabitants. When an individual could not pay his debts, he was often tortured. Tax collectors first tortured the head of the household for non-payment. If he still did not pay, they would torture the man’s family while he watched. With all the taxation you can see why in the final Jewish revolt one of the rebel’s first acts was to burn the debtor’s records in Jerusalem.

Paganism was also another “Intolerable Act.” The fact that the Romans worshiped multiple gods, and even Caesar himself, was offensive to the devout Jews of the day (and the new “Christians” of the time). Temples to foreign gods and to Caesar were built throughout the promised land. Is it any wonder the Jews revolted! When the Romans decided to use Christians as a form of “entertainment” you can understand why Christianity moved “underground” for a time. Rome was supposed to be the example of a cultured, modern society with its hot running water, entertainment, great works of art and a wonderful new highway system. PROBLEM? It was all built on the backs of the poor who were getting worse off. The empire was so big that the revolts that were happening throughout the empire could not be put down quick enough. Nobody in Rome trusted anybody else. It was all starting to fall apart. It would happen overnight; it was on the decline. Into this world the disciples are set out to be “Fishers of Men.”

Steve Macdonald’s Revelations on Revelation 12:1:1-17 (Part 25): Two signs are talked about in this chapter – a woman and a dragon – with various interpretations of these signs. The woman is an image of Israel as the mother of the messianic Savior (Micah 4:9-10; Isaiah 66:7); the woman is Israel (Genesis 37:9-11); the woman represents God’s people, who put their trust in Him (Isaiah 6.2 -Psalm 9.10-11); the woman is the unsaved remnant of Jews divinely elected by God to survive the 70th week of Daniel; the woman is Mary, giving birth to Jesus; the woman is the Old Testament giving birth to the New Testament. Since there is a struggle between good and evil, is she everyone of us, the church, protected by God’s armor in the struggle against evil (Ephesians 6:12)? Clearly this wondrous sign can be many things to any number of people and supported by using Scripture. But that only works if you know the Scripture. She represents many things to many people. If I was to choose one of them over all others, since she is clothed with the sun, stands upon the moon, wearing a crown of twelve stars, she has cosmic significance.
Is she symbolic of Israel through whom Jesus (root of David) is born? Probably.

The dragon is clearly Satan or hostile kings or kingdoms trying to prevent the rule of the woman’s Son on earth or a combination of all the above. The aim is to conquer good, to destroy Jesus (Daniel 7:15-25). With seven heads (seven the number for completeness) is this indicating complete wisdom? With ten horns (horns the symbol for power) this dragon obviously had great power. Adding seven crowns (crowns the symbol of authority), the dragon, therefore, has great wisdom, power and authority. Is John trying to show us that Satan’s agents, fallen angels, demons, any force (kingdom) are not wanting the reign of Jesus. Verse 9 tells us all we need to identify the dragon, that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan who leads the whole world astray. His angels (the third of the stars – verse 4) followed him from heaven and are cast out of heaven to earth. Despite great wisdom, great power, great authority, despite having an army of fallen angels available, despite being right there, right in front of the woman, God’s plan won out. The child is taken to heaven and will rule all the nations.

War broke out in heaven. Is it a number’s superiority which allows Michael to defeat the dragon? Granted Michael has a 2-1 advantage, but the dragon was defeated not because of numbers, rather because it is not strong enough. Michael “the great prince” will be able to protect the people (Daniel 12:1). How much more powerful is God? After the defeat, he and his army are hurled, not escorted, not asked to leave, but tossed to the curb like yesterday’s trash. A loud voice begins to rejoice and praise God in heaven. Heaven is free of Satanic influences and it is a historical event because the salvation and power of the kingdom of God and the authority of His Christ is come at last. Is Michael and his army the only ones who defeated the dragon? True believers also won a victory – all those who believed in the power of the blood of Jesus, who spoke the Gospel and professed that Jesus was Lord, whoever is willing to give their life for the Gospel.

So in heaven there is rejoicing, while in contrast on earth there is woe (not the third one yet), just woe. There is pollution, terrorism, racism, job losses, natural disasters, national debt . These are minor in comparison to “woe to the earth and sea. ” This is an earth that has just gone through two woes; yet the dragon’s anger is cause for the voice to caution the earth that something bad is about to happen. As furious as the dragon is, as focused as he is on revenge against the woman, God’s power is enough to prevent anything from happening. Wings appear and the earth opens up to swallow the water. God has a place prepared for the woman and He makes sure she gets there. God has a plan for eternity and He will make sure it happens - just as He planned it.

The Fisherman (I Peter 4:1-11) by Gary Carter: In our society we have certain symbols of control e.g. our Social Insurance Numbers, log in with “Facebook” or “Twitter”, “Rogers One Number”, Bar codes etc. Loss of control occurs when riots or demonstrations go awry such as with the youth at Fanshawe College in London, ON on March 17. Many feel that someone is always putting them down but Jesus said don’t just go one mile – go two.
Peter gives six coaching tips or instructions for life in this passage.
1.Arm yourself: There was lots of disgusting stuff happening in Peter’s day and in our day as well.
2.Live for the will of God: This is a trip, not a destination. There is nothing mystical about it all – just order your steps/affairs along with the desire in your heart. Here’s a list of verses on God’s will to study – Mark 3:35; John 7:17; Acts 18:21; 20:27; Romans 1:10; 8:27; 12:2; 15:32; I Corinthians 1:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; 8:5; Ephesians 1:1; 6:6; Colossians 1:1; 4:12; I Thessalonions 4:3; 5:18; 2 Timothy 1:1; Hebrews 10:36; I Peter 2:15; 3:17; 4:2 4:19; I John 2:17.
3.Be alert (verse 7): Pay attention so you can pray. Teachers command students to “sit up straight.”
4.Love deeply: This is not the rock star “I love you all!” type of love. Love shows in what you do.
5.Offer hospitality: Do this without grumbling. What you have is what people will get.
6.Use your gift: Speak words and serve with a high level of intensity and gusto. You are delivering God’s words - be definite. By nature Gary is not passionate but he has tried to be the best that he can and thus someone said last week that he is not “one to rest on his oars.” Use what you’ve got. Do what you say you are going to do from the heart.

Communion: Christ’s naked body was broken for us. This was a historical event that God used to shape our lives. 175 language groups have moved here to Brampton. We don’t have to get into a boat like the disciples did to set our own course of history as we let them know about Christ. Romans loved blood as seen by their brutality when they whipped Jesus.

Book Jokes? by Steve Macdonald:
Babysitting by Justin Casey Wails
How to Feed Elephants by P. Nutts
Who Saw Him Go? by Wendy Leeve
Improve Your Target Shooting by Mr Completely
Grow Your Own Vegetables by Rosa Carrots
Round the Mountain by Shelia B. Comin
The Barber of Seville by Aaron Floor
Garden Water Features by Lily Pond
Futuristic Weaponry by Ray Gunn

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